Emissions life cycle assessment of diesel, hybrid and electric buses

2021 ◽  
pp. 095440702110343
Author(s):  
Enoch Zhao ◽  
Paul D Walker ◽  
Nic C Surawski
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Product Life Cycle ◽  
Lithium Ion ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Product Life ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Electric Bus ◽  
Hybrid Bus

This paper applies a case study approach for Australia and calculates the equipment life cycle assessment of diesel, hybrid and electric buses. This study prepared the assessment according to the procedures and methodologies outlined in the ISO 14040:2006 Environmental Management – Life Cycle Assessment. The authors have chosen three bus models currently in service in the Australian bus fleet to serve as a baseline model for comparison. The amount of greenhouse gas emissions were calculated from the production, assembly, transportation, maintenance and disposal phases. The results in this study show that the electric bus has a higher total environmental impact than the diesel and hybrid bus, mainly due to the manufacturing of the lithium-ion battery. The results also show that the electric bus has a higher environmental impact than the diesel and hybrid bus (18.2% and 14.7% higher, respectively), albeit specific to the product life cycle and without including operation emissions. However, there are many opportunities to reduce product life cycle emissions, such as improvement in manufacturing efficiency, developing new battery technology and production in regions with low carbon-intense grid-mixes.

A method for Estimating the Degree of Uncertainty With Respect to Life Cycle Assessment During Design

2010 ◽  
Vol 132 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Srinivas Kota ◽  
Amaresh Chakrabarti
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Product Life Cycle ◽  
Uncertainty Estimation ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
Product Life ◽  
Individual Product ◽  
Total Impact

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is used to estimate a product’s environmental impact. Using LCA during the earlier stages of design may produce erroneous results since information available on the product’s lifecycle is typically incomplete at these stages. The resulting uncertainty must be accounted for in the decision-making process. This paper proposes a method for estimating the environmental impact of a product’s life cycle and the associated degree of uncertainty of that impact using information generated during the design process. Total impact is estimated based on aggregation of individual product life cycle processes impacts. Uncertainty estimation is based on assessing the mismatch between the information required and the information available about the product life cycle in each uncertainty category, as well as their integration. The method is evaluated using pre-defined scenarios with varying uncertainty.

scholarly journals Comparative life cycle assessment of lithium-ion capacitors production from primary ore and recycled minerals

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter I. Chigada ◽  
Olivia Wale ◽  
Charlotte Hancox ◽  
Koen Vandaele ◽  
Barbara Breeze ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
Product Life Cycle ◽  
Lithium Ion ◽  
Lca Methodology ◽  
Bottom Line ◽  
Recycled Materials ◽  
Lithium Ion Capacitor

The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology which allows quantification of environmental performance of products and processes based on complete product life cycle was utilised to evaluate the environmental burdens associated with manufacturing a 48 V lithium-ion capacitor (LIC) module. The prospective LCA compared the environmental impact of manufacturing a LIC module using primary ore materials and recycled materials from end-of-life LICs. For both the primary ore and recycled materials processes, the anode preparation stage was associated with the majority of the climate change and terrestrial acidification burdens. LIC module production utilising recovered materials from end-of-life LICs reduced the environmental impact compared to utilisation of primary ore resources. Application of the LCA methodology in early phase R&D activities was demonstrated with a case study on reagent choice decision-making process that accounted for environmental impact, technical performance and costs in alignment with the sustainability triple bottom line concept.

scholarly journals Environmental Performance of Kettle Production: Product Life Cycle Assessment

2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 255-261
Author(s):  
Andrzej Marcinkowski ◽  
Krzysztof Zych
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Product Life Cycle ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
Sensitivity Analyses ◽  
Main Function ◽  
Product Life ◽  
Comparison Results ◽  
Lca Results

AbstractThe main objective of this paper is to compare the environmental impact caused by two different types of water boiling processes. The aim was achieved thanks to product life cycle assessment (LCA) conducted for stovetop and electric kettles. A literature review was carried out. A research model was worked out on the basis of data available in literature as well as additional experiments. In order to have a better opportunity to compare LCA results with reviewed literature, eco-indicator 99 assessment method was chosen. The functional unit included production, usage and waste disposal of each product (according to from cradle to grave approach) where the main function is boiling 3360 l of water during 4-year period of time. A very detailed life cycle inventory was carried out. The mass of components was determined with accuracy of three decimal places (0.001 g). The majority of environmental impact is caused by electricity or natural gas consumption during usage stage: 92% in case of the electric and kettle and 99% in case of stovetop one. Assembly stage contributed in 7% and 0.8% respectively. Uncertainty and sensitivity analyses took into consideration various waste scenario patterns as well as demand for transport. Environmental impact turned out to be strongly sensitive to a chosen pattern of energy delivery (electricity mix) which determined final comparison results. Basing on LCA results, some improvements of products were suggested. The boiling time optimization was pointed out for electric kettle's efficiency improvement. Obtained results can be used by manufacturers in order to improve their eco-effectiveness. Moreover, conclusions following the research part can influence the future choices of home appliances users.

Low-carbon conceptual design based on product life cycle assessment

2015 ◽  
Vol 81 (5-8) ◽  
pp. 863-874 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bin He ◽  
Wen Tang ◽  
Jun Wang ◽  
Shan Huang ◽  
Zhongqiang Deng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Conceptual Design ◽  
Product Life Cycle ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Product Life

scholarly journals Attributional & Consequential Life Cycle Assessment: Definitions, Conceptual Characteristics and Modelling Restrictions

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 7386
Author(s):  
Thomas Schaubroeck ◽  
Simon Schaubroeck ◽  
Reinout Heijungs ◽  
Alessandra Zamagni ◽  
Miguel Brandão ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Product Life Cycle ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Consequential Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Modelling Framework ◽  
Potential Environmental Impact ◽  
Reference Environment ◽  
The Impact

To assess the potential environmental impact of human/industrial systems, life cycle assessment (LCA) is a very common method. There are two prominent types of LCA, namely attributional (ALCA) and consequential (CLCA). A lot of literature covers these approaches, but a general consensus on what they represent and an overview of all their differences seems lacking, nor has every prominent feature been fully explored. The two main objectives of this article are: (1) to argue for and select definitions for each concept and (2) specify all conceptual characteristics (including translation into modelling restrictions), re-evaluating and going beyond findings in the state of the art. For the first objective, mainly because the validity of interpretation of a term is also a matter of consensus, we argue the selection of definitions present in the 2011 UNEP-SETAC report. ALCA attributes a share of the potential environmental impact of the world to a product life cycle, while CLCA assesses the environmental consequences of a decision (e.g., increase of product demand). Regarding the second objective, the product system in ALCA constitutes all processes that are linked by physical, energy flows or services. Because of the requirement of additivity for ALCA, a double-counting check needs to be executed, modelling is restricted (e.g., guaranteed through linearity) and partitioning of multifunctional processes is systematically needed (for evaluation per single product). The latter matters also hold in a similar manner for the impact assessment, which is commonly overlooked. CLCA, is completely consequential and there is no limitation regarding what a modelling framework should entail, with the coverage of co-products through substitution being just one approach and not the only one (e.g., additional consumption is possible). Both ALCA and CLCA can be considered over any time span (past, present & future) and either using a reference environment or different scenarios. Furthermore, both ALCA and CLCA could be specific for average or marginal (small) products or decisions, and further datasets. These findings also hold for life cycle sustainability assessment.

A comparative life cycle assessment on lithium-ion battery: Case study on electric vehicle battery in China considering battery evolution

2020 ◽  
pp. 0734242X2096663 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuoyao Wang ◽  
Jeongsoo Yu
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Lithium Ion Battery ◽  
Electric Vehicle ◽  
Lithium Ion ◽  
Collection Rate ◽  
Recycling Industry ◽  
Battery Recycling ◽  
The Future

China has become the largest electric vehicle (EV) market in the world since 2015. Consequently, the lithium-ion battery (LiB) market in China is also expanding fast. LiB makers are continually introducing new types of LiBs into the market to improve LiBs’ performance. However, there will be a considerable amount of waste LiBs generated in China. These waste LiBs should be appropriately recycled to avoid resources’ waste or environmental pollution problems. Yet, because LiBs’ type keeps changing, the environmental impact and profitability of the waste LiB recycling industry in China become uncertain. In this research, we reveal the detailed life cycle process of EVs’ LiBs in China first. Then, the environmental impact of each type of LiB is speculated using the life cycle assessment (LCA) method. Moreover, we clarify how LiBs’ evolution will affect the economic effect of the waste battery recycling industry in China. We perform a sensitivity analysis focusing on waste LiBs’ collection rate. We found that along with LiBs’ evolution, their environmental impact is decreasing. Furthermore, if waste LiBs could be appropriately recycled, their life cycle environmental impact would be further dramatically decreased. On the other hand, the profitability of the waste battery recycling industry in China would decrease in the future. Moreover, it is essential to improve waste LiBs’ collection rate to establish an efficient waste LiB industry. Such a trend should be noticed by the Chinese government and waste LiB recycling operators to establish a sustainable waste LiB recycling industry in the future.

Low-carbon product design for product life cycle

2015 ◽  
Vol 26 (10-12) ◽  
pp. 321-339 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bin He ◽  
Jun Wang ◽  
Shan Huang ◽  
Yan Wang
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Product Design ◽  
Product Life Cycle ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Carbon Product ◽  
Product Life
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